At Pleasant Garden Cemetery, A Hike Through History Returns

A grave at Pleasant Garden Cemetery in Chattanooga.(Pleasant Garden Cemetery / Facebook)(Aired Thu 2/06/25) On Chattanooga’s Missionary Ridge, you’ll find one of the oldest historically Black cemeteries in Tennessee.Pleasant Garden Cemetery was recently nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, thanks to a vote by the Tennessee Historical Commission.Opened in 1891, Pleasant Garden is the final resting place for leading members of Chattanooga’s African-American community after Reconstruction and during Jim Crow segregation, including tragic figures such as Ed Johnson - who was lynched on the Walnut St. Bridge in 1906 - and at least one of the Scottsboro Boys.Fifty years ago, the cemetery was abandoned - but in recent years, volunteers have taken on tasks to restore the site.This Saturday, Chattanooga Parks and Outdoors - and the African American Cemetery Preservation Fund - once again host a “Hike Through History” at Pleasant Garden.Donivan Brown and Beth Murphy are with the Fund.(City of Chattanooga)